


one of the best birthdays of 1933

by asianradishhh



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: M/M, brooklyn boys in the 30s, fluff with a small dash of angst, they celebrate steves birthday every year, tw for some homophobic depictions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23567473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asianradishhh/pseuds/asianradishhh
Summary: “And we said that four years later, we’d get our first kisses. We said we’d get ‘em at the same time.”Now Steve’s heart was starting to beat faster than usual. He could feel the blood rushing to his face. Now the fireworks had started, and the boys didn’t waste a second staring at each other on the tree branch. They subtly started moving closer, as their faces were colorfully lit up by the bright fireworks. Bucky’s hand slowly raised up towards the side of Steve’s cheek where he kissed him on his birthday last year.“It’s been four years, Steve.”
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	one of the best birthdays of 1933

_ JULY 3, 1929 _

That’s what the calendar read; the day before Independence Day, but more important to Steve, the day before his birthday. And as usual, his best friend Bucky had quite the ambitious plans for them, so it basically became a birthday tradition ever since they first met. Where he would take him, however, was always unpredictable, but never disappointing. Steve was turning the age of eleven, which was the same age as his closest friend, and that only caused more anticipation.

Currently, he focused on finishing his breakfast oats hurriedly so he could meet his friend in time for their pre-celebration in the park. That’s where Buck told Steve to meet him when they last hung out and with that, he also gave him a pinky promise, and then he was off. Now that he had finally finished his oats, he could surely manage to slip out of the house unnoticed. After all, it was still quite early, and his parents didn’t have the time for the curious, morning sun just yet. He’d make it back before seven, he told himself.

It took no longer than ten minutes before he reached his destination; the Brooklyn Central Park. Not much longer after, he spotted a sly face hiding in the leaves of a moderately-sized oak, the sky still a bit shaded considering how early it was. But he knew right away who it could’ve been; who else could it be?

“You know I can see you, right?” Steve couldn’t help but giggle a bit at his friend’s attempts.

“Of course you can, I wasn’t tryna hide or nothin’.” He scooted further to the edge of the branch, planting his chin onto his palm. Although he said what he said, his disappointed expression clearly read  _ ‘buzzkill’. _

“What’s the surprise this year, Buck?” Anyone could hear the giddiness in his almost eleven year-old voice.

“Hm. Climb the tree and we’ll see ‘bout it, Stevie.” Now he was positioned sitting upwards on the bough, left elbow resting on his knees.

“Seriously, you’re actually… you know about my asthma.” Bright blue eyes quickly but subtly flickered away off to the side as he muttered.

“Yeah, what’s really stoppin’ ya though? You’re Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes’ bestest friend.” Yeah, he’s definitely not coming down anytime soon.

There was never a way to convince his friend otherwise, so Steve figured the best decision was to just  _ try.  _ He’s never climbed a tree before, so this would surely be something worth learning if he still wished to stay in this kind of friendship with Bucky. First step? Not too bad. He swore he almost slipped, though. He almost lost grip of a small twig that stuck out of the trunk, but overall, it wasn’t the worst tree climbing job in the world. Sooner than he thought, he was in range of the branch that Bucky was sitting at. Speaking of which, he was holding his hand out so he could pull himself up.

“Your asthma isn’t the thing that stops you, Stevie. Got that?” Buck spoke once he pulled his friend onto the thick, leveled branch.

“Yeah, I know. Wasn’t that bad anyway, I could do that all day.” The cocky grin he wore was almost slapped off by Buck.

“Whatever, punk.” He laughed anyway.

The two talked about everything and everyone, from their earliest memories to their least favorite singers. It was as if they were destined to find each other, and to be alongside one another until the end.

“Oh! Okay so, I heard about this thing from that kid in our class, and it’s super weird. Here-” Bucky cut off his sentence to grab his friend’s wrist. Steve stiffened out of shock and curiosity at the sudden contact.

“You see these blueish, greenish lines on your wrist, right? So, count them first.”

“Um, I think there were four…”

“Alright okay, she told me that the number of lines in your wrist tells you how many years until you get your first kiss. Cool, right??” His crisp, blue eyes were practically filled with fascination.

“Wow… so, in four years, a girl will kiss me? Like, on the lips?” Now it was Steve’s turn to be fascinated.

“Yeah! It’s weird ‘cus, I also have four lines. What if they were cute girls? And we kissed them at the same time??”

“You’re… you’re right!”

After a couple minutes, the buzz died down and the sun was starting to reach out to brighten more of the cities’ shadows, and more cars were appearing on the streets.

“Uh, what was your surprise anyway?” The blond finally asked.

“Oh yeah, this was the surprise I guess. Happy birthday Stevie!” Bucky gave his best friend a side hug so he wouldn’t fall off of the branch, but he promised he’d give him a better one next time.

The sun was up, meaning that their parents would be up soon enough as well. That is, if they don’t get kicked out by the night guards beforehand. Even though his pre-celebration was very subtle and tranquil, surely his friend had more creative ideas for when his actual birthday came along. They walked home together, but without lacing their hands together this time. Recalling the last time they did that, the boys received many strange looks from the adults and some kids their age. Even though they were eleven, some things were still questionable to some adults, they supposed. Although they didn’t understand at the time, maybe they’ll be able to comprehend at a later date.

Perhaps, in four years.

_ JULY 4, 1931 _

Ripe age of thirteen; cursed with the horrible teenage hormones. It was like Steve felt such sudden rebellion, and always stuck up for himself; even getting into a handful of fistfights. If it weren’t for his friend Bucky, he would have a lot more bruises than this.

“I can do this all day.” He’d say with pure confidence, but the confidence immediately crumbled when his bestie saves him once again from an abandoned alleyway with no one there but Steve and a drunk teenage commoner.

Anyway, it was his birthday once again, as he just struck the beginning of his teen years. Yet again, Bucky has another “getaway” to celebrate the day Steve Rogers was born. They have skipped their summer classes together before, such as last year for his twelfth year celebration, but it always seemed to give off a wrong feeling to the students who watched them arrive to class with wild hair and reddened cheeks and noses. It felt so stupid, but the feeling of being judged wouldn’t ever go away. His train wreck of a mind was set back onto its tracks when he heard that smooth voice snap him back into reality.

“You skipping class or not?” Bucky nodded his head towards the exit doors. When did he get so tall?

“I don’t know, Buck…” Even he felt like a coward saying that.

“It’s your birthday, lay down to rest once in a while, got that?”

“Well-”

“I wasn’t gonna let you not come along.”

In an instant, Steve felt his wrist getting tugged once more; almost reminding both of them about what took place two years ago, when they sat in the tree… discussing when they’d get their first kisses. They never brought it up during his twelfth birthday, but they try not to think about last year. The boys had gotten kicked out of the church after Steve got caught resting his head on his friend’s shoulder as he slept, and that’s really all they needed to know.

_ Four years… _

It had always seemed so silly to Barnes as well, yet he couldn’t help but subconsciously track the years until then. If he was being honest, he’d forgotten about it for a while now, and never paid much mind to that morning in ‘29. Being even more honest, he was trying to purposely ignore it altogether; he could barely tolerate the dirty looks he receives from civilians who happen to witness them squeezing their hands together, or maybe even hugging each other goodbye. So, he tried stopping, even though his friend sometimes feels hurt about it. Anyway, they had all the time to hug and hold hands at their homes either way. Not that they meant anything more than a close friendship, obviously. After all, they’ve stuck by one another ever since they were basically babies.

“Where to this time, Buck?”

“You’ll see…”

That’s what Steve always asked, and Bucky always gave the same answer every time. They found themselves at a closed art museum, leaving the blond very confused and nervous. He seriously didn’t think they could actually..?

“Come on, I know how much you love art, Stevie!”

“Well, yeah, but I didn’t say I liked to break the law for it-!!”

Not even a minute long, they were in a huge empty hall filled with gorgeous murals from all over. Surprisingly, Steve could name the artists of most of the paintings, definitely blowing Bucky’s mind.

“This, this is amazing, Buck.” He could barely whisper, looking around the echoing halls.

“I, uh, thought you’d like it, you know…”

Steve redirected his attention back to his friend, and walked over, placing his hands so they entangled with the other’s.

“And I do. I really do.”

They stared a bit, before resuming back to Earth, Rogers awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck while Barnes chuckled lightly, the delightful sound bouncing off the muraled walls.

“This would make a very nice ballroom…” Steve noticed, looking around once more.

“Yeah… um, do you know how to dance?” Bucky hesitantly questioned, with a new idea in mind.

Still in a daze, the other boy tried his best to respond, “I-”

Before they could say anything else, steady footsteps echoed throughout the entire gallery, interrupting whatever moment that would’ve been happening. If anyone caught them in the closed building, they’d be in big trouble. If they caught them out, skipping class, they’d be in  _ huge _ trouble. And, if they were to catch them dancing as two boys minutes later, they would be burnt toast. They had to run out, away from the murals, as much as Steve would hate to leave so soon. But of course, they couldn’t get caught breaking three laws at the same time; the paintings weren’t going anywhere, anyways. The boys were out of the building in a matter of seconds, out of breath by the time they stepped out into the sunlight of Brooklyn, the looming sun blocking their sight.

“Oh… Oh my god.” Buck barely managed to gasp out.

“Was… close…” Steve breathlessly worded in response.

After they finally had enough oxygen filling their lungs, they shot each other a look of fatigue and amusement, bursting out into wheezing laughter not too long after.

“We should totally do that again next year… when it’s actually  _ open. _ ” Still hunched over catching his breath, the blond was being genuine.

“Not the worst idea, Rogers.” He flashed a knowing smirk.

“School it is, though.”

“Damn.”

“Language, jerk.”

And then they were off, dreadfully dragging their school bags back to the ‘sorry excuse for hell’. On their way back, they joked about what had just happened, and continued to laugh and giggle when walking to the schoolhouse.

_ ‘Do you know how to dance?’ _

Steve never answered his question.

_ JULY 4, 1932 _

“Still planning on takin’ me to another closed art museum?”

Today, Steven Grant Rogers turns fourteen, and was fussing about the events of July 4th, 1929.

“You think I wouldn’t, pal?” replied Bucky, snarkily.

“I know you would, but please stick to the legalities this time.”

They laughed, and knew that there was no way they could stay away from trouble regardless. The boys found themselves at the front of a small, easy-to-miss corner shop.

“Really? It’s my birthday, and you take me to a corner shop.”

“Yep.”

“As extravagant as you usually are, I’m actually surprised.”

Nonetheless, they stepped into the small shop anyway. It was nothing special, really; just a small retail store filled with gag gifts such as cheap party hats and fake mustaches. In the midst of the cluttered, miscellaneous items, Steve could not stifle his laughter.

“Gee Buck, you were seriously creative this year, huh?”

“You bet; only the best for you, punk.” Apparently Bucky couldn’t hold in his amusement, either.

If anyone knew these boys at all, they would know that the pair can literally find anything to do; even when there’s absolutely nothing but themselves. Who knows, maybe they could even find something at least a  _ bit  _ cool in this tiny shop. It didn’t take long before Buck reached for the fake mustaches, and grabbed one that curled upwards at the edges. Placing them just above his lips, it really set Steve off into a fit of laughter.

“What are you even doing, Bucky?”

He only had an attempted poker face as he tried to speak in a low, “unrecognizable” voice.

“Who the hell is Bucky?”

That really sent them into uncontrollable snorts of laughter. Anyone who walked in would’ve thought they were insane; crazy kids who shared the most terrible sense of humor. They figured that if they were gonna spend Steve’s birthday in a convenience store, they might as well do  _ something.  _ The cashier was lazily off to the side, reading a thick magazine while sipping a mug of cold, black coffee with a slight scowl, so they could do whatever they wanted. Well, for the most part. But that didn’t stop Steve from equipping two american flags, and proceeding to stick them behind his pale ears. He cleared his throat, then also attempted to speak in a deeper voice.

“I am Captain America; your favorite, one and only Patriot!” He struck a pose that was so dorky, it wasn’t for the eyes of ordinary men.

Snickering, Bucky let out fake cheers, acting as the “crowd”.

“Whoo, we love you Captain America!” It sounded like a harsh whisper more than anything.

“Thank you, thank you…” After bowing, they started giggling once more as if they were little gossipping school girls. In doing so, one of the flags fell out from his right ear, and Bucky immediately snatched it away before Steve could even react. Still speaking in his mocking tone, he requested his flag back.

“Excuse me, kind citizen, may you be so polite as to handing me my fallen accessory?” The voice was starting to grow more ridiculous the more times he spoke in it.

“Lemme think about that…” Buck rubbed his chin slowly, as if thinking about it, then sprinted off in the opposite direction.

“Hey-!” Steve grinned widely, chasing after his best friend and the flag.

They swiftly looped around the aisles, tripped over food stocks, bumped into walls, leaving the blond out of breath. They’ve been at it for a good minute, and Steve was so burned out, he thought he wouldn’t be able to serpentine ever again. Maybe even run, and that was if he got  _ lucky.  _ It was still fun though, anything to entertain themselves in such a limited shop. For a corner store, it was quite messy, making it easier for the boys to trip over a box or two. Finally catching his breath, Barnes was already peeking slightly from behind one of the shelves, as if checking on his friend.

“You okay there?” He interrupted jokingly.

“Aha-!”

Steve managed to grab his bestie’s other forearm; the one without the flag, but that was the least of their worries. They were never gonna forgive the store’s mess. When gripping Bucky’s arm, his foot tangled with some wire as they suddenly tumbled onto the cold, tiled floor. The shorter boy toppled onto his friend, as they tried processing what just happened. Tucking Buck’s wavy hair behind his ear, they both burst into another fit of laughter. Neither of them were hurt thankfully, and they continued to snicker and snort, not seeming to notice the cashier’s sudden attention. The man’s eyes stared in their direction, as if burning a hole through the back of Steve’s head, then cleared his throat. Loudly.

“Ahem.”

That caught Bucky’s attention for sure, but Steve was still trying to sit up from the fall. He quickly scrambled to sit up himself, after taking note of what the worker saw.

“You two have had your stay long enough. Your momma’s are probably worried anyways.” His sentence was gruff and full of disgust, it basically matched the scowl he wore.

“Huh? But we-” Rogers started.

“ _ We  _ will be taking our leave shortly. Not for you, though.” Buck’s voice was suddenly defensive and, if Steve was being honest, a bit scary; kind of like his facial expression, which had suddenly changed as he spoke.

Not long afterwards, they were leaving the doors and thankfully, the salesman. But, Steve still seemed pretty upset at something.

“Why’d we have to leave?” He sounded almost timid.

“No use for sticking around with a lowlife like them.”

“I mean, why’d you let him control your choice to stay there?”

Bucky sighed shakily, as if he were equally as upset as his friend.

“Stevie, it’s not that easy. People like them don’t like it when others are different.”

“Yeah, but, I would never let anyone control what I do, or who I hang out with.”

Giving an upset scoff, Buck abruptly took a sharp sniff and turned to face his Steve with tears welling up in his eyes, tears lining his eyelids that glistened under the low-setting sun.

“Okay, of course. Sorry your birthday got ruined again…” His quivering lips mumbled.

“We’re still here together, right? Best birthday gift, Buck. Though I prefer the mustache on ya.” Steve joked, trying his best to lift his friend’s spirits.

The other boy just sighed.

“Start thinking about yourself before me, punk.” He had a wide smile when saying this, though.

“I have enough thought for the both of us.” The blond only smirked back.

Bucky nodded in response, but still looked as if he had something else on his mind. Biting his lip, he looked very nervous as well. Fiddling his sweaty palms together, averting his eyesight, it was like he was contemplating a life or death decision. His goosebumps stuck out like a sore thumb, but tried paying no mind to them. They were silent for a good five seconds, before Steve started to speak up once again, after noticing how awkward it was getting.

“So, uh, hopefully I can come over tomorr-”

In one quick, fluid movement, Buck’s left hand was resting on Steve’s right cheek as he planted a very light peck on his left cheek, face blushing immensely.

“Next year. Next year will be better. Um, goodnight…” He averted his blue eyes once more before dipping his head low, walking the opposite direction, his face still burning red with embarrassment and nervousness.

“N… night…” Steve only froze and stared as his friend walked away, his stunned fingertips slowly dancing across his left cheek, caressing the area where Bucky had kissed him. How long has Steve been wanting and waiting for that to happen? He continued to stand there alone, still in a state of disbelief and awe.

The other boy was still hurriedly making his way home, the feeling of embarrassment still sticking with him as the soft, cool sunset winds flowed through his tousled hair. He immediately felt as if he messed something up terribly, but even so, his mind was swarmed with only three words.

_ ‘I kissed Steve.’ _

Sure, it was only on the cheek, but it meant the entire world to Buck; not because he had the courage to do it, but because Steve didn’t run away afterwards. He shot his shot, and although he felt very nervous in doing so, he could never say he regretted it.

_ Next year. Next year will be better. _

Bucky forgot about the four lines on his wrist.

_ JULY 3, 1933 _

Throughout their yearly celebrations, Steve and Bucky never repeated their meeting spots before, yet here they were again; planning for Brooklyn Central Park. Rogers turns fifteen tomorrow, and he could not have felt any more anxious about it. But he realizes that it’s a sign of maturity, and that fifteen is a big number; he’s ready to face the world, as if he hasn’t already. Now that he’s turning to be a man soon, his mother allowed him to spend until midnight with his one and only bestest friend, James Buchanan Barnes. Strangely enough, throughout the times they hung out after that night last year, the kiss was never brought up, as if it had become a faded memory for them to cling onto in silence. For “safety” reasons, as they agreed upon. Speaking of safety reasons, Sarah Rogers didn’t know that the boys will be at Central Park, for the two didn’t want either of their parents to worry about anything dangerous. It was now 8:56 PM, and Steve wanted to meet Bucky as soon as he could. With an “I’m off” to his mother and out the door, he tried to sprint as fast as he could to the park, ignoring any signs of an asthma attack. He was already late, so hopefully three hours would be good enough for the both of them.

It was just like the first time they were here.

Buck sat on a thicker bough that stuck out of a looming dark oak, as Steve gasped desperately for oxygen.

“God… the things I do for ya.” Speaking briefly between his breaths, he raised an arm to wipe the sweat dripping from his temple.

He looked up the tree to meet the other’s gaze, except it wasn’t the eyes of some eleven year old in Brooklyn anymore; it was the eyes of a growing adult, his best friend. His hair grew out to be a little shaggier than previously, but nothing too long of a hairstyle.

“So, what’s the surprise this year, Buck?”

The other boy laughed.

“You should know by now, Stevie; climb, and find out. Nothing changed, you know.”

Yep, definitely like the first time they were here. Almost. They were both balanced onto the branch soon enough, and Steve was already catching his breath for the second time within the past half-hour. It was different though, because now they were both older and silent. They were mature teens, and would already be adults in three years. Crazy how time flew by; it seemed like they were here last week, celebrating his eleventh birthday. Or when they snuck into a closed art museum, maybe running around in an old corner shop. And, it felt like it was yesterday when Bucky had planted that delicate kiss on Steve. Steve wondered if his friend had also thought about that night the way he always did. Everyday he would think about that warmth on his cheek, and how it was nothing like he’d ever felt. But for now, that warmth is replaced by that eleven o’ clock breeze. They haven’t spoken a single word for a while and that was just fine with them; it wasn’t awkward nor was it tense. The two boys could hear the distant cars from the outer area of the park. Luckily, they chose the heart of the forest where there wouldn’t be anyone for hours and hours. After all, who would be in the middle of the forest at the middle of the night?

Since it’s the night before Independence Day, the fireworks will be on tonight, just like every other year. They couldn’t watch them the last time they were at the park since it had been the morning, but maybe they had the chance of catching it this time. The two lived in Brooklyn, meaning there would surely be a bigger celebration than other cities or states. The fireworks here were gorgeous; loud, but still gorgeous. Steve and Bucky knew that the show would be starting very soon, so they got to talking.

“Remember our first time here, Stevie?”

“Yeah. Almost eleven years old, and probably the smallest person you’ve ever seen in your life.”

“You still are, pal.”

They both laughed, giving each other alluring stares and smiles. Then Buck’s face turned serious, and gulped nervously. It was the same look he had before kissing Steve years ago. He carefully held Steve’s wrist and showed his palm.

“And we said that four years later, we’d get our first kisses. We said we’d get ‘em at the same time.”

Now Steve’s heart was starting to beat faster than usual. He could feel the blood rushing to his face. Now the fireworks had started, and the boys didn’t waste a second staring at each other on the tree branch. They subtly started moving closer, as their faces were colorfully lit up by the bright fireworks. Bucky’s hand slowly raised up towards the side of Steve’s cheek where he kissed him on his birthday last year.

“It’s been four years, Steve.”

Their lips softly pressed against each other. Finally. They’ve waited so long for it, and there wasn’t anybody to tell them to stop. The fireworks continued to whistle and crackle in the Brooklyn night, and that passionate warmth filled their faces again. They have never felt so happy. Bucky gently caressed Steve’s cheek with his thumb as Steve brought his arms to wrap around Buck’s neck. A few heartbeats later, Bucky pulled away with hesitation, as if he didn’t want to stay away. Not like Steve wanted to, either. But instead, they leaned in until their foreheads touched, and they could feel each other’s breath on their lips.

“I think I love you.” Steve blurted out softly.

“I think I do, too.” Buck responded with the same level of calmness, but his expression shifted to a sad, worried frown. “What do we tell our ma’s?”

“Nothing right now. They’re not here right now, and plus; we’re supposed to be celebrating my birthday, Buck.” The blond attempted to lift his spirits, and sure enough, it worked. Bucky gave an adorable and amused huff.

  
“Fine… punk.”

“This is probably the best birthday you’ll give me.”

“We’ll see, Rogers.”

“I guess it was true that we had our first kisses at the same time, but we didn’t end up with dames.”

“That’s fine. I prefer Steve, anyway.”

  
The blond blushed profusely and Buck only laughed at him. He really did get lucky with this one. It was past midnight and their momma’s would probably be worried, but they weren’t ready to leave just yet.

“Happy birthday, Stevie.”

They kissed again with smiles on their faces as the fireworks continued with the night, and Steve wished they could’ve done this sooner. But that was alright, because the Brooklyn boys both got what they wanted, and Steve never had a better birthday than this.

Now they finally understood, and they couldn’t be happier about it.

**Author's Note:**

> i wish to read more fics about prewar stucky with them in the 30s, so i thought id give it a shot myself :-) this ones also kinda short though..


End file.
